Arrivals and Awakenings
by Reket
Summary: Season 4, picking up right where the Season 3 finale ends: Elena has to make the decision on becoming a vampire and the Salvatore brothers choose sides. The Originals must face their choices, and the gears have been turned in Mystic Falls and the council.
1. Chapter 1: Awake

**The Arrival**

Damon stormed into the hospital, to the room where all the bodies were kept, with Meredith following quickly behind him. "Stop, Damon!" she hissed, glancing around hoping that no one else was noticing the commotion.

Stefan, already sitting next to Elena's motionless body, was first to take her hand. "Elena," he said, and from his expression anyone could already tell what was on his mind. But before he had a chance to say any more, he found himself being slammed against the wall.

Damon had Stefan by the collar of his jacket. "You," he seethed. Stefan couldn't even look him in the eye. Damon slammed him against the wall again. "How could you let this happen? How?"

Stefan painfully closed his eyes. "It was her choice, Stefan."

"You-" but Damon just pressed his lips together angrily. He could barely think of anything to say. His little brother was an idiot. The eternal difference between them, from respecting Elena's choices to doing anything to protect her despite her decisions, had finally, inevitably, cost everything that Elena held dear in her human life. Damon raised his fist to hit Stefan across the face.

But everyone froze when they heard it: the unmistakable gasp of the resurrected.

Elena sat up. "Where...?" She put a hand to her head. Her memory was so fuzzy. The long strands of her dark hair fell across her face, casting shadows over her eyes. There was water, she remembered. Matt, unconscious beside her. Stefan...

"Matt." She looked around and the faces registered in her mind: Stefan and Damon, both at her bedside, and Dr. Meredith Fell, standing by the doorway glancing out into the hallway once in a while to make sure that no one else was there. "Where's Matt? How is he?"

"He'll be fine," said Stefan gently, but seriously. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I..." and then it hit her. "Oh god. I'm..." She looked from Stefan's face to Damon's, and from their expressions, she knew the truth. She looked at Meredith. "I'm in transition, aren't I." It wasn't a question.

Meredith looked like she was about to cry. "The vampire blood that I gave you yesterday. It was still in your system when you drowned."

"Elena, look at me. Everything is going to be fine," Stefan said, cradling her face in his hands. They locked their eyes for just one moment.

Damon snorted. "What are you, kidding me? This is NOT alright! Nothing is right!" He stood up and slammed his fist into the wall, shaking the room. "This isn't how it's supposed to be! This isn't what was supposed to happen!"

Stefan chose to ignore his big brother's complaints. "Don't worry, Elena. You'll be fine," he said, putting her hair behind her ear. "We helped Caroline through this. You'll be fine."

"No." Elena shook her head.

"What do you mean?"

"No. I can't," she said. She took Stefan's hand and squeezed it, and looked at Damon. "I'm not going to go through with the transition. I won't become a vampire."

-X-

There was no one around to tell Jeremy what the hell was going on. No one was answering their phones. The Salvatore brothers were ignoring theirs. Matt's and Elena's phones went straight to message inbox. Caroline...he had no idea where she was, but knowing what happened to Tyler, there was no way he could contact her about Elena right now. And Bonnie.

Jeremy hesitated for a long time, staring at the entry in his cellphone's contact list, before he finally decided that the awkwardness of calling his ex-girlfriend did not outweigh the possibility of learning what the hell happened to his very-possibly dead sister. It was all for nothing. After the phone rang four times, there was no answer. "Damn it," was all he could say. He hung up before he had to leave a message.

He put his cellphone in his jeans pocket and grabbed a jacket and the car keys. There was no way that he was just going to sit around and wait for news, or wait for something to happen. He opened the door and stepped outside. Before he could even get off the front porch, however, he felt a pair of eyes watching him from the street below. He froze, his eyes grew wide, and he swallowed in apprehension.

"Elijah," he said.

"Hello, Jeremy." There was a tone of graveness in his voice.

-X-

Bonnie saw Jeremy's phone call. She just chose not to answer it.

"A little trouble?"

Bonnie looked up to see Tyler's stoic expression, only she of all people knew that it wasn't Tyler speaking to her; it was Klaus. "It's never little. And thanks to you, there is always trouble around here."

"Aw, don't be so harsh, darling."

Bonnie ignored the pandering. "What are you going to do now?"

Tyler/Klaus smiled. "Well, let's just keep my survival a little secret between the two of us for now. I've got some things that I want to do before I let everyone know that I'm back. I need to gather my family of hybrids, for starters. Finish off this Alaric business."

"I spared your life for my friends," Bonnie said coldly, her voice trembling. "If you hurt Elena-"

But she never got to finish her threat, because her phone began to ring again. She checked to see if it was Jeremy again or something, but it was actually Caroline.

-X-

Caroline just so happened to be sitting in the hospital room by Matt's bed, sobbing. Matt, wearing a hospital gown and hooked up to an IV, was still unconscious.

Caroline had come upon Stefan as he dragged Elena's body out of the water. She had been running-away from Tyler's pain, away from Mystic Falls-when she reached the bridge crossing and saw the carnage at hand. She saw the half-dead Matt...and the very dead Elena.

"We can't lose you, too," Caroline whispered into Matt's bedsheets, sobbing quietly. "Tyler. Elena. Even Alaric. Please, not you, too."

She was at the end of her rope. Everyone that she cared about was gone. Even the sliver of chance of being with Klaus was gone-he was dead, too. Klaus was wrong. There was no future for her. At least, she couldn't see any future ahead of her without her friends there to be with her. She saw Damon storm into the hospital earlier, greeted by Dr. Fell, but she honestly couldn't care any less what they were talking about. She barely heard what Dr. Fell was saying to Stefan when they brought Elena and Matt to the hospital. Caroline just knew that Elena was dead, and that Matt was on the brink.

-X-

"You're out of your mind." That was all Damon seemed to be saying, and he was saying it quite a lot. Stefan, on the other hand, was completely silent. He couldn't make eye contact with Elena at all.

Elena took a deep breath. She could smell it. Blood. It was strange, the way it smelled so disgusting, yet impossible to ignore. It was everywhere. But she knew exactly what it was, and she fought against it. She took another deep breath through the mouth. "I died. That's all there is to it. Jeremy doesn't have to know. Matt doesn't have to know." And, she thought in her mind, Stefan and Damon could be brothers now. Because with her as a vampire, it would never end. She realized this now, that not only did she lose everything normal in her life, she was now unable to be the one normal person that linked the Salvatore brothers to the humans. Wasn't thaat always their plan? One of them would stay with Elena until the end of her mortal life? That was impossible now. She had to die. She looked at Stefan's bowed head. "This is my decision."

"Have I told you lately how much your decisions stink?" Damon spat. Elena knew he had a point, with how the trusting Elijah thing turned out and how she was now dead. But what other choice did she have? Elijah could have killed her on the spot, yet he didn't. And if it wasn't her, then it would have been Matt.

"You don't have to do this." Elena could barely hear Stefan, but he was very clear.

"Yes, I do," she replied. She looked at Damon, Stefan, and Meredith. "You guys don't have to stay and watch."

"You're right. I'm going to kill that bitch," said Damon. Everyone knew that he was talking about Rebekah. He stalked towards the exit, and walked right past Meredith.

Suddenly, he grabbed Meredith by the neck and slammed her into the wall.

"Damon!" Stefan yelled, but he was completely ignored by his older brother. Damon tore into Meredith's wrist and dragged her over to Elena, where he forced Elena's face towards the gaping wound. Elena's lips made contact with the barely conscious Meredith's wrist, and the horrifying realization appeared in Elena's eyes. She couldn't stop. She couldn't fight it. And so she drank.

"There," said Damon, a wild gleam in his eye. Stefan, on his feet, only stared. Damon laughed. He knew that Stefan wouldn't interfere. "Even with all your griping about letting her make her decisions, you still want her to live. I know." He dropped Meredith on the floor. "You can just stand there. I'll be the bad guy. And in the end, I'll be the reason that she's still here with us."

The brothers locked eyes for just one moment. Then Damon sped out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2: Awake

Chapter 2

Rebekah Mikaelson sat absentmindedly, her straight, blonde hairs casting a shadow over her face, her light eyes staring at the flames in the fireplace. She thought of everything that she had witnessed in her thousand years of existence. She thought of all the times she had with her family, and all the times they departed from her, one by one. And she never would have believed that there would come a time when, not only did Nik leave her, but he died right in front of her eyes, and she could do nothing about it.

Somehow the idea seemed impossible. Nik was always so strong. If he were to ever die, she assumed that she would most likely go down with him. But for her to survive while he did not...she never considered that. And that's what drove her to do what she did. The possibility to live. The possibility to make connections this time without looking over her shoulder every five seconds worrying about anyone coming after her, including her own dear brothers.

A subtle noise alerted her to someone's presence.

"Elijah," she said, turning around to see her brother. "Where have you been?"

"Giving the Gilberts my condolences."

"Why did you have to do that for?"

Elijah frowned a little. "You have singlehandedly broken our deal. The least we could do is pay our respects."

"You should have been there with me," Rebekah muttered.

"I'm leaving, dear Rebekah," he said, his arms crossed in front of him. He stood straight and composed, like always. "There is nothing left for us here but memories and ill will."

"This is our home," Rebekah insisted. "We were here first!"

"Sister, I do not think that what you have done will bode well with the residents of this town," said Elijah. "Even Elena is now a vampire. They will come after you, that I promise you. You should come away with me."

"No." Rebekah stood up. "I did this for us. For our family. So we could stay together, at home."

Elijah pulled up close to her. "Come with me, little sister. We can make our home somewhere else, anywhere. Home is wherever we make it. Wherever our family is. Not some physical location."

But Rebekah pulled away, only giving Elijah a dark stare. The two siblings looked at each other with heavy silence. Elijah finally gave a heavy, sad sigh. "As you wish, Rebekah. This is goodbye."

"What will you be doing?"

Elijah hesitated. "I feel that something is amiss. Katherine's bloodline...should have perished with Klaus, and yet they did not." He took a deep breath. "It seems that some foolery has escaped our notice, and I can't seem to get this idea out of my head." He shook his head. "But don't mind me. I'll let you know if I find out anything."

Rebekah nodded. "I'll see you again," she said.

Elijah paused. "When you need me," he said finally. He took Rebekah's hand and grasped it tightly. "I'm here for you, even if I don't seem like it. Always and forever." And before Rebekah could say any more, he sped off into the night.

Rebekah stood watching the closed front door long after it had slammed shut. It was quiet in the house now-she was the only being in it. How cold it felt in her heart, despite the warm fire flickering in the fireplace, despite the fact that it was supposed to be impossible for her to feel any heat or cold due to her vampiric body.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, but the flames suddenly flickered and a shadow crossed the window. Rebekah whipped around to look, but nothing was there. She took a few tentative steps towards the window. "Elijah?" she suggested, but only silence returned her call. She was just about to relax when she heard a clanking sound towards the front of the house. She narrowed her eyes. This was not Elijah. She stalked towards the front of the house and to the front door, which she carelessly threw open.

Right in front of her was a familiar face. "Hello, blondie," said Damon with a big grin, his arms crossed. So hateful and intimidating was his glare that fear flashed before Rebekah's eyes, and she staggered backwards, back into the house. But Damon did not move from the front porch. "Miss me?"

She glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Well, let's see," said Damon, rubbing his chin in mockful thinking. "You broke our deal, killed Elena and almost killed Matt. I'm thinking revenge."

"Elena's not even dead. I heard from Elijah. She's a vampire now," said Rebekah coldly. Her voice was shaking.

"No thanks to you," Damon said, his voice rising. "Some wack doctor took care of that! And Elena didn't even want to transition!"

"There is nothing that you can do to me. Have you forgotten that I'm stronger than you? Faster than you? I can kill you whenever I want."

Damon completely ignored her threats. "Consider this a courtesy warning." With every sentence, he took another step towards her. "I'll be back. You won't know when. You won't know where I'll find you. But I will. So freak out while you can, blondie." He stopped when his face was an inch from hers. "I'll see you real soon." And then he was gone.

-X-

Meredith lifted her bandaged wrist. "It's not that bad," she said.

"I am so, so sorry," Elena repeated. "I couldn't stop myself, it was like something came over me..."

Caroline put an understanding hand on Elena's arm. "It's okay. We all get it." Elena was sitting in a hospital bed despite her protests that she was fine. But Stefan, Caroline, and Meredith, who were all in the room with her, had insisted. Elena glanced at Meredith's bandage guiltily.

Stefan noticed it. "Damon," he said in a low voice, almost a growl. He took a few steps towards the door, but Elena held on to his arm. When he looked down at her, she shook her head. Then, something seemed to come over her. Like, some sort of mist was clearing, or a distant dream. Her head throbbed, and she could see Damon...they were talking, a long time ago. When was this? She couldn't remember.

"Elena?" Caroline said, snapping her out of it.

"I'm fine," she said, shaking it off.

There was a ruckus coming from outside. The group exchanged glances. "I'll check it out. You guys stay here," said Meredith. "And stay out of trouble." She left.

She froze when she entered the waiting room and found a crowd of law enforcers, guns drawn. They weren't normal guns, either. "Vervain," she muttered to herself, along with a curse word. It was happening. The council was acting.

"Dr. Fell." She whipped around. One of the officers was there. "We'd like to have a few words."

Stefan was peeking through the small open crack in the door. "Police," he said.

He didn't have to say any more, because Caroline knew immediately. "They're here for us." She looked terrified, and met eyes with Stefan. "We need to get out of here."

"They don't know about Elena. She should stay here and rest," said Stefan.

"No way," Elena shot back. She was already climbing out of bed. "You guys are not leaving me here!"

Stefan peeked out of the room again, and found himself meeting eyes with Meredith. They came to an understanding in that moment.

"Meredith will distract them. We'll try to go out from the back," Stefan said. "Come on."

The three of them rushed out of the room and down the hallway, out a back exit, Caroline and Stefan on either side of Elena to help her along. Outside, the night was dark and only a glow from a single outside spotlight mounted on the hospital wall lit their path.

Fwwwt.

Stefan staggered. He pulled a dart out of his arm. "Vervain," he gasped, and he tossed it aside.

A figure stepped out of the shadows. "I figured you might try to escape this way."

"Who's there?" Caroline said, her guard up.

"I'm a little offended. The daughter of Sheriff Forbes, not even recognizing one of her deputies. Did turning into a monster affect you that badly?" The speaking deputy stepped out into the light, with two more at his sides. All of them had their vervain dart guns drawn.

"Caroline," said Stefan. "Take Elena and run."

"But..."

"Just do it!"

Caroline frowned, but did as she was told. She took Elena and dragged her away as best as she could.

The deputies didn't even bat an eye. "Stefan Salvatore. I've been hearing a lot of rumors about you." The talkative one seemed to be the leader.

"Yeah, well, I'm quite the celebrity," Stefan muttered. He charged, and the deputy fired. Stefan managed to take out one of the other ones but found himself being burned from the inside, four or five darts making contact with him.

There was a blonde blur, and Stefan registered that it was Caroline. She threw another deputy against the wall and charged at the leader, but he had already turned his gun on her and fired, taking her down. "How predictable. I thought you'd come back," he said smugly. He observed the two writhing vampires. He pulled out his walkie talkie. "I've got two in the-"

Suddenly there was an unexpected flash, and he was flung sky high into the side of the hospital building as well, knocked out cold. Elena stood panting over her friends protectively. "Bet you didn't see that coming," she said.

-X-

"I need to use the rest of Elena's blood to make as many hybrids as possible before the blood goes bad," Tyler-Klaus was saying. It was strange to have such a menacing aura around Tyler, thought Bonnie.

"Will that even work?" Bonnie questioned. "Will the new hybrids be sired to Tyler because you'll be making them with his blood? In fact, will the hybrids that you've already made even listen to you right now, in Tyler's body?"

"Well then, we'd better get started in bringing my body back, don't we," said Tyler-Klaus.

Bonnie did a double-take. "Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean by 'we'?"

"Well, you're the one that got me out of my body. You'll be the one to get me back in it."

"No way. I'm not taking orders from anyone. And right now, I don't want to find your original body so that you can, what, wreak havoc again? No thanks."

Tyler-Klaus gave a devilish smile. "We'll see about that."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him, and stalked out of the cellar basement.

-X-

Elena opened her eyes.

"Finally," said Caroline. Elena was in her own room, in her own bed. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, although the curtain was half-drawn so that none of the sunlight fell onto Elena. Caroline was sitting at the foot of the bed, while Bonnie was by the windowsill.

"Is it done?" Elena asked.

Sitting on the windowsill was a lapis lazuli ring. Bonnie had her grimoire opened in her arm, the other one moving around as she chanted.

"How are you, Elena?" Caroline asked.

Elena was feeling terrible, but she couldn't bear to tell her best friends that. "I don't know." She looked at herself. Last night, she probably just killed someone.

"So, we were talking," Caroline said, moving on quickly in the way that only Caroline Forbes could do, "about your bloodline. Like, we don't know whose blood Dr. Fell was using that was in your system, right?"

"Isn't it Damon's?" Elena said. "I know she took some from him."

"But we don't know for sure."

"Why don't you just ask her?" Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

Caroline frowned at Bonnie. "I've had so many theories lately that are just floating around in my mind. Like, what happens if Meredith used the blood of a vampire that was the bloodline of an already-dead original? Would the blood just not work? What would happen?"

"I'm a vampire right now, so we shouldn't worry too much about that," Elena said. She sat there thinking. "Klaus is dead," she said slowly. "But none of us are. Does that mean that we aren't from his bloodline, after all?"

Caroline sat there silently. She was very obviously thinking about Tyler, and Elena was immediately sorry that she brought it up. "I'm so sorry."

Bonnie, too, was strangely silent. But that was because she couldn't yet reveal to her friends the truth-that Klaus was actually still alive.

-X-

Downstairs in the Gilbert house, Damon and Stefan were together arguing while Jeremy looked on with disdain.

"Just one go," Damon was saying. "Just to get at Rebekah. I know you want to. Help me, brother."

"Damon," Stefan said. "There is now a one in three chance that Rebekah is the one that originated our bloodline. And you want to kill her?"

"Well, dagger her then. And toss her into the ocean," Damon said. "Whatever!"

"We can't do that," said Stefan. "If you haven't noticed, we're a little short on daggers and humans."

Damon thought about that. "Well, we can fix half of that problem." He fixed his eyes on Jeremy, who narrowed his eyes at the two brothers.

"Whatever it is you're planning, I'm not having any part in it," he said immediately.

"Oh, come on," Damon said, flashing a convincing smile.

"Why don't you just leave our family alone?" Jeremy said, standing up. Damon's smile instantly disappeared.

"Why don't you stop telling us what to do? It's not cute," Damon said.

Jeremy pointed at the door. "Get the hell out of my house."

Damon started towards Jeremy but Stefan stopped him. "Let's just go for now," Stefan suggested, trying to avoid any more conflict. He glanced up the stairs. "If you guys need us, just call, okay?"

Jeremy silently stared him down. He didn't take his eyes off of the Salvatores until they were out.


	3. Chapter 3: Awake

Chapter 3

"You just -had- to let her do what she wanted," said Damon, sipping his bloody alcoholic drink. He was with Stefan in the living room of the Salvatore boarding house, the sunlight streaming in. Monday morning, bright and early.

"Nothing is going to happen to her," Stefan said as he came down the stairs putting on his jacket. He grabbed the keys from the stand by the door.

Damon set his glass down. "If nothing is going to happen to her, why are you going to school with her, then?"

Stefan gave a little shrug. "To make sure nothing happens to anyone else."

"What about the council?"

"They won't strike at the school. They're definitely not going to want to cause a big commotion, especially with so many people around. I don't think we need to worry about that," Stefan said. "Besides, no one knows that Elena is a vampire. To be safe, though, Caroline has gone into hiding." Stefan pointed at his older brother. "I think you being here might even put you in more danger. Maybe take a walk, huh, Damon?"

"Yeah. Sure. Pretend that you worry about me," Damon said. "You're going to be late."

Stefan grinned. "See you later, brother."

-X-

"Feel anything?" Jeremy asked Elena as they stood outside the school on the grass. Elena felt the skin touch her cold skin. No sparkles, at least. This wasn't Twilight they were talking about here. And she wasn't burning.

"It works," Elena confirmed aloud, and added to no one around in particular, "Thanks, Bonnie."

The siblings walked indoors just as the first bell rang.

Elena found herself in history class, where everyone was just missing. No Caroline. No Tyler. Not even Bonnie was there. No Rebekah...not that Elena particularly wanted to see Rebekah at that moment. No Ric. There was another man there, a substitute teacher.

Oh, and the smell. That irresistible, potent smell of blood. Her eyes wandered over the class. So many young, healthy people in the room. So much blood pumping through their veins, twenty-two hearts beating in a rhythm that she could subtly feel. She felt a psychological growl in her stomach. She could feel her teeth hurting, like they did when she transitioned back in the hospital.

She struggled with it. She couldn't let it show in her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting an innocent human being, one of her classmates. That's right, she convinced herself. Human blood wasn't worth that moral sacrifice. No. Stop. Stop!

Just then, Stefan walked in late. Elena and he made eye contact right before he sat down. She could tell that he sensed her struggle.

They snapped out of their gaze when their attention was drawn to the scritch scratching of the chalkboard. "Hello, everyone. I'm the substitute teacher for today," said the man at the front of the room.

"Where's Mr. Saltzman?" Elena asked, glancing sideways at Stefan. She wondered what the teacher, and by extention the rest of town, thought happened to Ric. She had been so out of it that she hadn't even had time to find out the official story for his disappearance.

The substitute gave Elena a steady look. "Unfortunately, your previous history teacher...has been found deceased a little ways from here. The police haven't released any information as to what exactly happened yet, but it seems like this position as history teacher here is a little cursed. Which is why I'm only a temporary replacement." He gave a weak smile. "But instead of jumping right into the course material right away, the school wants me to discuss with all of you something else that might be important to you next year."

"College."

-X-

Stefan had wanted to walk the Gilberts home, to Jeremy's noticeable chagrin. Instead, Elena decided to decline and set her mind straight first. Elena was so absent-minded going home that she walked right into the wall on the front porch of her own house.

Wait.

She hadn't walked into the wall; Jeremy had opened the door, and she simply couldn't enter. Jeremy turned to see.

"Oh, yeah. The house is under my name now," Jeremy said, tossing the keys on the coffee table. "You can come in." Elena frowned at this, but entered the house. Somehow, the idea that she had just been excluded from her own house hit home for her, that she was a vampire, that she was dead. It was unfamiliar and odd, and it sent a shiver up her spine.

How cold Jeremy was acting after all of this didn't help in the matter. In just days, she felt like the gap between her little brother and herself had grown tenfold. "Hey, how are you?" she asked in her usual concerned tone. Jeremy didn't answer, proceeding to grab a drink from the fridge. "Jeremy-"

"How do you think I feel, Elena?" he snapped. He then calmly poured himself a glass of juice.

It seemed impossible for Elena to get a read on him. His face was so stoic, so calm, but that sudden snap proved that his mind was in another state of being entirely. "If you're guilty about what happened to me, don't be," Elena began.

"Stop it, Elena." She seemed to have struck a nerve. He hands were shaking as he held his drink.

Elena silently watched her brother for a few more moments. When he refused to meet her gaze, she gave up. "I'll be upstairs." She just reached the bottom of the steps when her phone beeped. It was a text. "Oh. Hey Jer, Caroline says she'll be coming over in a bit. Would you mind letting her in? Since I...well, can't anymore."

Jeremy said nothing.

-X-  



End file.
